Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

30 reviews

oceanwriter's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Though I wouldn't personally call this much of a thriller, Things We Do in the Dark did not disappoint.

When her well-known husband is found dead, Paris Peralta is the obvious suspect. Though she knows she's innocent, she's less worried about the murder charge itself than she is about having her face in the media. This isn't the first time she's been in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

With an alternating timeline and POV, we also meet Drew, a true crime podcaster who inevitably comes across Paris' story. We don’t hear as much from his side, but it brings the story together as it alternates from past to present. However, I don't think the book necessarily needed his storyline, either. We don't learn too much about him.

What I enjoyed most were the backstories even though the topics were heavy. Paris and Ruby in particular were well-fleshed out. Where the active thrill is lacking, the characters make up for it. That's not to say there's no element of suspense, only that where a lot of what's being told is in the past tense, we know on some level how things end. The characters made it for me. I enjoyed it a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Dementia, Rape, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Abortion

blouviere4's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Child abuse, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, and Drug use

kcelena's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Infidelity, Dementia, and Blood

paisleypetty's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Child abuse, Death, Dysphoria, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Confinement, Dementia, Drug use, and Drug abuse

kitkatreads_khadeejah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Death, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Dementia, Body shaming, Bullying, and Racism

bhanson24's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder, Suicide, and Child abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Rape, Grief, Dementia, and Sexual content

clevelandbookgirl's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Murder, Cursing, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Gore

Moderate: Drug abuse, Vomit, Drug use, Dementia, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

goodgollymissmollee's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a quick, easy read that was largely enjoyable. But I think it was just average. Nothing overly exciting or shocking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness

dalmavatai's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was my first Jennifer Hillier and I really enjoyed it! The themes are quite dark but there is an interesting cast of characters both in the past and present timelines, and great plot points that make for an engaging and gripping story. This book had my attention the entire time for these reasons. There are some surprising reveals at the end as well as some reveals throughout the book - I would've wanted them to be a bit more shocking but they were okay. Overall, a solid thriller and I will be checking out more of this author's work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Addiction, Dementia, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

haleysversion's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence